Man Finds Birth Mother In A Country Of 100 Million People 30 Years After Losing Her In A Crowded Market

Joel De Carteret couldn't even remember his biological mother's name, but he was determined to find her.

Meghan Rivard
August 31, 2017

Imagine being 5 years old and lost in a very busy marketplace completely alone. It would be terrifying and overwhelming. This is the story of Joel De Carteret. As a young child, he found himself searching a bustling marketplace in the Philippines for his mother, who had left him at home with friends while she went to work. He wandered around alone for hours. Luckily for Joel, a taxi driver, found him and took him to the orphanage.

The story continues in an article by the Daily News. Joel was placed in an orphanage, where he became available for adoption and was adopted by a couple who lived in Australia. While he had a good childhood, he always felt like he was missing something. So at 30 years old, he set out to find his biological mother, with no name, in a county with 100 million people, not even knowing if she was still alive.

After 2 months of hard searching, he found his biological mother, Herminia. As to be expected, it was a very emotional time. But shortly after they met, Joel had to return to Australia.

But, Julie, his adoptive mother, traveled to Australia shortly after to see Joel and meet Herminia. Julie, in a CNN news video story, stated, “I always knew that Joel would need this to make his life complete.”

Joel’s story is one of many adopted children. He needed to know about his biological mother to gain closure. The story is full of heartbreak as Joel first met a woman in the Philippines who thought was his biological mother, but the DNA test showed that was not the case. But most of all, it is a story of commitment and love from all involved: Joel, Julie, and Herminia. Joel never gave up and now he is able to learn his childhood history firsthand and have the support and love of both Julie and Herminia.

Julie stated it perfectly in the CNN video, “It’s a wonderful story to tell the depths of a mother’s heart”.